# Mexican regional labor poverty and informality trends

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/mexican-regional-labor-poverty-and-informality-trends
> Updated: 2026-08-27T10:55:00.000Z. Sources: 20. Developments: 2.

Economic data from mid-2026 indicates a divergence between Mexico’s national labor trends and specific state-level indicators. While the national labor poverty rate decreased from 35.1% to 31.9% between Q2 2025 and Q2 2026, several states reported worsening conditions.

Sinaloa experienced the highest rise in labor poverty, increasing by 3.7 percentage points, alongside a 3.4% decrease in real per capita labor income. Coahuila and Michoacán also saw increases in labor poverty. Nationally, labor informality reached 56.2% in July 2026, affecting approximately 34.1 million people. This suggests a trend where job growth is concentrated in the informal sector rather than formal employment.

Regional disparities remain significant. While states such as Morelos and Querétaro showed substantial improvements in labor poverty, rural areas continue to face higher poverty rates (44.7%) compared to urban centers (28.3%). The national unemployment rate remained relatively stable at 2.9% in July 2026.

In Chihuahua, labor informality rose to 35.1% during the second quarter of 2026, up from 30.59% the previous year. The state reported 1.9 million employed individuals, a decrease of 10,000 compared to the prior year, with the manufacturing sector seeing the most significant decline. Approximately 87,000 people in Chihuahua were identified as underemployed.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-27: Chihuahua labor informality rises to 35.1 percent

Labor informality in Chihuahua, Mexico, rose to 35.1 percent in Q2 2026, driven by declines in the manufacturing sector and rising underemployment among 87,000 residents.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/chihuahua-labor-informality-rises-to-351-percent

### 2026-08-26: Mexico labor informality rises to 56.2% as regional poverty fluctuates

Mexico's national labor poverty rate fell to 31.9%, but informality rose to 56.2%, with states like Sinaloa and Coahuila seeing increased labor poverty.

18 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/inegi-conducts-household-income-and-expenditure-survey-in-coahuila

---
Cite as: Mexican regional labor poverty and informality trends. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/mexican-regional-labor-poverty-and-informality-trends